


A Handful of Days of Magnus Bane

by melbopo



Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: Established Relationship, First meeting of Werewolf!Luke and Magnus, Fluff, Gay Alec Lightwood, I write nothing but fluff really, M/M, Magnus Bane Deserves Nice Things, Magnus Bane Is A Freewheeling Bisexual, Magnus Bane Is Quite Magical, Magnus Bane-centric, Minor: Biphobia and Homophobia, Warm and Fuzzy Feelings, alcohol mention, drunk!magnus, each chapter is a different ficlet, lots of fluff, so that is what you can expect
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-05
Updated: 2016-12-07
Packaged: 2018-09-06 20:35:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8768335
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/melbopo/pseuds/melbopo
Summary: This is compilation of the ficlets I wrote/am writing for different days of 31 Days of Magnus Bane - a countdown to the return of the High Warlock of Brooklyn, Magnus Bane, to my life!!! (aka when Shadowhunters (TV) Season 2 airs)DECEMBER 28th UPDATE - I was unable to keep going on this due to some personal things so I decided to just close this out since they are each stand alone ficlets! I also changed the title to be less of a lie...





	1. magnus bane + magic

**Author's Note:**

> I will add tags as I go since each theme is different and I have no expectation to do all 31 days but I will probably try to do most of them. I will include the theme as the chapter title and any potential tags in the beginning notes of each chapter with a link to the post on my tumblr in the end. I hope you enjoy and are as excited about Magnus's return as I am!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day One - magnus bane + magic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> relevant tags: non sexual massages, near magic depletion, injured!alec, established relationship

After a long couple of days of portalling around the world collecting different ingredients for a powerful conjuring and capturing spell for the demon that has been feeding Valentine ideas about the power and abilities previously unknown to shadowhunters, Magnus is feeling ready to sleep for at least a week straight. Magnus is pretty powerful but even he has limits and he is reaching them. Of course the whole mission wouldn’t have been successful without a couple of mishaps, one of which resulted in Alec being flung into a wall pretty bad so Magnus is itching to get his own hands on Alec to know for sure that he is as fine as he claims to be.

As Magnus and Alec begin to shed their dirty layers while they walk through Magnus’s apartment, Magnus takes a moment to enjoy the fact that Alec came home with him with absolutely no prompting, as if he also felt the need to be close to Magnus. When Alec removes his shirt, Magnus’s eyes automatically catch on the harsh dark purplish red bruise that covers the top of Alec’s bicep and shoulder. Magnus winces in pain just looking at it, his fingers reaching out to gently graze the hurt area. There is a small scrape in the center of the bruise that must have been from the corner of the wall that Alec collided with. Magnus’s fingers accidentally brush the raw and sensitive skinning, causing Alec to grit his teeth and suck in a harsh breathe. Magnus lets his hand drop, fingers skimming over Alec’s exposed pale back before grabbing Alec’s hand and leading him to the silk sheet bed. 

“Can I look into your shoulder, Alexander?” Magnus asks as he positions Alec to sit on the edge of the bed in front of him.

Alec nods his response as Magnus uses his magic to bring a washcloth from the shower to clean the scratch before dispelling it again to get to work. He calls forth a little bit of healing and relaxation magic in a soft blue glow around his fingers. Once he feels comfortable that he has the right combination to cause minimal discomfort to Alec and max healing, he gently presses his fingers into the tender skin, working a slow massage from the edge of the bruise to the center of it. Magnus enjoys how Alec groans and relaxes immediately the moment Magnus’s magic touches him, putting himself at a little more ease at the confirmation and reminder that Alec is just a little beaten up but fine overall. 

Magnus’s magic has always been extremely responsive to Alec, bonding and merging well with Alec. It never resists or goes against Alec’s own unique energy, instead always working _with him_ to be _better_ , _stronger_ , more _power_ than it is on most people. Magnus isn’t positive if it has to do with his own feelings for Alec influencing the will of his magic or just that natural chemistry between them resulting in a natural compatibility between their energies as well. It pleases Magnus deep down regardless. That feeling of ease spreads through Magnus’s body, washing over him as he feels just how well Alec’s body, especially his wounds, are taking in his magic right now. He pushes a little more magic into his massage as he works his fingers towards the center of Alec’s bruise, the highest density of pain and discomfort.

He isn’t sure what exactly happens after that moment of consciously massaging Alec but next thing he knows, Alec is nudging him awake on the bed. His face looks soft and tired, but his smile is kind as he offers his hand to Magnus, “Let’s get you out of those clothes and washed. Come on, I drew up a bath for you while you napped.”

Magnus draws his eyebrows down in confusion at the word nap but Alec presses on, “please let me look after you.” And with such a genuine plea as that, who is Magnus to complain or go against his boyfriend’s wishes? He lets Alec lead him to the bathroom, removing what remains of his dirty clothes along the way until he completely naked and comfortable in his skin.

The air in the bathroom is warm and dense, smelling of lavender and chamomile Magnus realizes. He smiles to himself at that idea of Alec going through his cabinets, looking for the right combination of oils that would best soothe him. It’s only when Magnus is climbing into the warm bathtub does he realize just how exhausted and drained he is. It makes him a little unbalanced and uneasy on his legs, relying on Alec’s strong grip more than he anticipated as he lowers himself in.

The moment he is submerged in the water, he feels his muscles just go lax all at once and he lets out a long sigh at the boneless feeling, genuinely unsure if he will be able to even walk out of this tub after or if Alec will have to carry him to bed. He’s about to voice that comment when he feels a pressure on his hand that is still in Alec’s. He groans again as he realizes that Alec is taking the time to massage his body, soothing his muscles from the dull ache that comes from physical and magical depletion. Alec is methodological in his massage, gentle but thorough, starting at Magnus’s fingers and working up his arm to his shoulder and back. Magnus just lets himself be gently guided in the bathtub this way and that so Alec can massage him fully. The massage isn’t sexual in its manner but rather caring and soothing, warming Magnus from the outside in. 

Alec is massaging Magnus’s shoulders for a second time after finishing his legs, knowing full and well that Magnus stores most of his power and magic in his back and on his shoulders - his own personal baggage and burden to carry. Alec pauses in his movements, kissing the top of Magnus’s head before murmuring gently into his hair, “promise me you won’t use your magic on me next time your magic is running low?”

Magnus hums thoughtfully, considering Alec’s words. “What if the situation is dire?”

Alec pauses for a moment, clearly battling with how to respond before saying, “I don’t know what I would do if anything were to happen to you, Magnus.”

Magnus brings both of his hands up to rest on Alec’s on his shoulders, pushing little bit of magic just to feel and be grounded in that melding of their energies that’s never has been so organic or easy with anyone else in all of Magnus’s long life before, “me neither, Alexander.”

After a long and draining couple of days, that soft but earnest confession from both of them carries so much weight, more weight than all the power that Magnus carries in his magic, settling something undefined yet important in both of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed the ficlet! here's [the post on my tumblr](https://sugarplummeliorn.tumblr.com/post/153977784761/day-one-magnus-bane-magic-after-a-long-couple) if you want to like/reblog it there!!! xoxo


	2. magnus bane + fingers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day two of the 31 Days of Magnus Bane - similar to chapter 1 but the massage from Alec's perspective!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> relevant tags: established relationship, massage, mention of past sexual activities, still fluffy

The past four days have been about three days longer than Alec desired and he is dying for a moment of solitude. As an introvert, he is ready to regroup on his own and recharge out of site for a while. He honestly thinks he might need at least a week, no a month, after traveling all over the world with Magnus, Luke, Clary, Isabelle, Jace, _and_ Simon to collect ingredients, intel, and more. Then there was that issue with the demon where _someone_ (see: Simon) had broken the containment seal markings that allowed the enraged demon to get loose and toss Alec into the wall. Sure, maybe there had been an overlooked issue with the process of summoning something that powerful into the room and it caused cracks in the walls that started to leak sunlight into the room and burn Simon’s delicate vampire skin… But Simon was fine now and Alec still has a bruised shoulder that aches deep in his chest when he pulls back the drawstring on his bow so he is allowed to feel a little annoyed and want his space for a couple of days.

Alec is wrapped up in his own thoughts, letting his feet guide him to wherever they want to go right now. When he finally decides to lift up his head, he is barely surprised to see that he followed Magnus to his apartment, a place that he is finding himself spending hours and hours at and enjoying it. Half the time Magnus and him are just doing their own things, like reading or re stringing a bow, but it never feels forced, uncomfortable, or draining. Alec appreciates that he can have the quiet and solitude without actually being alone, having Magnus’s presence nearby, even just on the edge of his, can settle him. He also knows that it soothes Magnus as well; he had a perfect view of Magnus’s reaction face to seeing him take the blow so he knows Magnus wants the chance to check up on him privately. Which is why he immediately takes off his shirt once inside the apartment, recognizing that protective streak in Magnus for those he cares about. It warms him knowing that he is one of those people now, that he unlocked something in _the_ Magnus Bane.

Magnus’s gentle words bring Alec out of his own sappy thoughts and he follows Magnus’s slight prodding to sit on the bed to be examined. He knows exactly what is about to happen and he is trying his damnedest to not get too flushed and excited like he does every other time Magnus gets his hand on him. He clenches his fists at the first touch of the cool washcloth against his sensitive skin. He can see a soft blue glow out of the corner of his eye and he knows without a doubt Magnus is going to help ease the ache and speed up the healing process. This isn’t the first time something like this happened nor is it the first time that Magnus has offered to help him either; Alec kinda likes the fact that Magnus worries about him so outwardly. It’’s refreshing to be able to see the fact that people care for him in return.

He doesn’t even try to hold in the relieved noise he makes when Magnus’s fingers first come into contact with his warm skin. The magic and slight pressure feels absolutely amazing on his injury and he can feel himself finally start to relax. He closes his eye to the feeling, just enjoying having Magnus’s fingers on him, taking care of and being gentle with him. God Alec could write sonnets about Magnus’s fingers and he has never felt inclined to write anything more than a childish, sarcastic poem in his life. He just feels that words alone do not do enough justice in capturing all the beauty and power that Magnus’s fingers possess. How they can go from choking a bodiless demon with sheer will alone to being so soothing on his back, knowing just the right pressure points to touch to ease the pain.

 With the pain from his shoulder diminishing, Alec’s mind is free to wander but he can feel himself starting to get turned on with the dangerous train of thought of Magnus’s fingers. He wants Magnus’s fingers to do so many things to him, things he never thought he’d have or even want with another person, nevermind a man he genuinely cares for and cares for him in return. Often after a long day, Magnus likes to just run his fingers all over Alec’s body, massaging out tense muscles, and turning Alec into an aroused heap of loose muscles and heavy bones. The attention, teasing and tickling from Magnus’s talented fingers lights him up from the inside, out every time.

 And Magnus is no fool to just how much Alec is affected by his fingers, always making sure to do things that accent or draw attention to his long, powerful fingers when he’s in Alec’s sights. Like using a glittery red nail polish that reminds Alec of swollen, glistening red lips after bitten kisses and tight grips or glimmering jewelry that catches the light when Magnus twirls his fingers just so, bringing Alec back to fast handjobs in dark corners in between boring meetings or how about the time that Magnus used his middle finger to pick up chocolate frosting off Alec’s cheek before taking his finger into his mouth and licking off the frosting in a manner that made Alec’s pants way too tight in his crotch region to be at Simon’s birthday party in good conscience. Each time Magnus teases, he just gives Alec a sly grin the moment his heart starts speeding and his skin flushes. The grin reminding Alec of a that expression of a clever cat that got the canary and damn, that smirk just speeds up his heartbeat even more.

 Alec tries to rein his train of thought in to focus on the tender moment and just how good Magnus is making him feel, a combination of both the magic that sings to his body and the touch itself. The care and concern that Alec can feel Magnus pushing into his body with this massage is a really heady feeling that Alec could definitely get used to. It makes him think of other things that he wants from Magnus’s fingers. Like to tease Magnus for a change with nips and little bites on his finger tips or run his fingers through Alec’s hair like they both enjoy or maybe even just hold his hand out in public.

Yeah maybe it’s a little vanilla, but it’s something that Alec thinks about the most when he thinks of Magnus and his fingers: just intertwining their fingers and holding hands. A simple public display of affection that is so new and exciting to Alec, something little but important to him: being out in the world, in all senses of the word, with his amazing, protective, _magical_ boyfriend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed the ficlet! here's [the post on my tumblr](https://sugarplummeliorn.tumblr.com/post/154100472186/day-two-magnus-bane-fingers-yes-this-is-three) if you want to like/reblog it there!!! xoxo


	3. magnus bane + bisexuality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ficlet for day three - magnus bane and bisexaulity!
> 
> shout out refs: a certain qmoc for my wife [ally](http://www.princemagnusbane.tumblr.com) and the inclusion of a certain fav aesthetic for my love [ allie](http://www.alecmagnu.tumblr.com)!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> relevant tags: mention of biphobia, mention of homophobia, Simon Lewis POV, alcohol mention, drunk!Magnus, bi-visibility crisis
> 
> (Magnus is pretty drunk in this chapter which is why his characterization is so different than usual - I'm definitely curious as if you think I completely missed the mark or not!

Simon is not sure what he did to find himself with his fingers running through Magnus’s hair at 11pm on a Thursday being walked in on by Magnus’s boyfriend, Alec Lightwood, himself… Actually that is a straight up lie, Simon knows  _ exactly  _ how he got here and he has no one to blame but himself. Let’s rewind:

The night started off like any other time that Simon had shown up at Magnus’s apartment to avoid Raphael and do some vampire history reading. Magnus had once said that he was always welcome to the apartment and with the way that Magnus cooks, he is not a fool that would decline such an offer.

Anyway, Simon was minding his own business, staying out of Raphael’s hair by reading about the role vampires played in successful colonization and slavery in North America by Europeans in Magnus’s apartment. But Magnus was being really weird, like weirder than Simon’s ever seen him. He kept playing music that is all over the place in terms of genres, muttering to himself in different languages (some that sounded ancient and like they hadn’t been uttered in centuries), and drinking from a never ending whiskey tumbler while making a potion. Whatever Magnus was muttering sounded like he was repeating himself cause he kept using the same tone, intonation, and sour face but the words sounded different every time.

Simon decided it was for the best if he just tuned Magnus out and let him do his own thing because maybe Magnus was just muttering a spell for the potion and if Magnus really wanted to talk about something, he’d find a way to bring it up. After about twenty minutes or so of reading, Simon realized that he recognized his first song that Magnus had played all night. He piped up from his corner, “Hey, this is Queen!” Magnus nodded slightly which spurred Simon on, “the leader singer was gay right and died kinda young from aids?”

Magnus whipped his head to glare at Simon as he corrected him, “Freddie Mercury was a bisexual man of color! Stop erasing us from history!”

Simon’s eyes widened as he pulled his head back slightly in response to Magnus’s harsh gaze, a little taken back by the response but realized it must be personal thing,“Oh shit sorry - I didn’t know. I’ll remember that for next time.”

Magnus definitely muttered something that sounds like a rude insult in Spanish before he increased the volume of the music with a single turn of his pointer finger. Simon wasn’t even sure where the music was coming from, maybe the record player in the living room but not positive. What he was positive of was the fact that Magnus was speaking a mumble jumble of different languages because he definitely heard some more spanish words this time around but also some words were definitely too harsh to be spanish. 

Simon was also positive that Magnus was pretty drunk. Simon was confident he’d seen Magnus consume at least 5 servings of whiskey alone since he got here and the different potion ingredients that hovered to and from his counter were not as steady in their trajectory as they had been earlier in the evening…

Simon can totally tell when his presence isn’t desired and he had no clue how to even begin to tackle whatever it is that is bothering Magnus. So he decided that that was his cue to leave because he actually might prefer watching raphael sharpen the knife collection instead of this angsty, drunk, closed off Magnus that kept shutting him down every chance he had.

Simon put away the lore book he was reading and double checked he had his phone, wallet, and keys as he made his way to the front door. He turned towards Magnus, one hand on the door bell to add, “So I’m going to go… Um I’ll talk to you later? good bye?”

Suddenly everything that was hovering in the air dropped to the ground, some of it breaking most of it just rolling around, as Magnus let out a loud, wet sob of, “I AM A GOOD BI!”

Simon’s eyes went extra wide and startled, not exactly sure how to proceed or take in the fact that Magnus has big, drunk tears running down his face. He released the doorknob from his grip as he walked closer to Magnus, even though he felt five steps behind and completely in over his head, he didn’t want to abandon Magnus in this vulnerable state either. Even if it seemed like a drunk sexual visibility crisis that had been building up in Magnus for a while, perhaps even centuries. “Yes… Yes you are… Um, do you want to talk about it?”

“Maryse to some other shadowhunter that she couldn’t believe they allowed a gay warlock to sit in on the mission meeting today... and I’m not even gay! I’m bisexual! Why do people keep trying to change or erase that part of my identity from me? Like I didn’t go through centuries of sexual exploration just to have the label I chose be ignored!” Simon was now close enough to pat his hand against Magnus’s shoulder in a way he hoped resembled compassion. He’d never seen Magnus shed a single tear before this night, not even that time he stubbed his toe really hard on the metal table because Alec walked in shirtless and sweaty from training, so he was still in shock.

“Maybe you aren’t being obvious enough...”

“I’ve mentioned both men, women, inbetween and out of the binary as romantic partners outloud! What more could I do to be obvious?”

Magnus’s tears stopped but clearly this was something that had been wearing him down for a while and is very important to him. “I don’t know…their are LGBTQ+ flags, right? Buy a biusexual flag? Get it as a tattoo? Dye your hair the colors of the bisexual flag?”

Magnus’s face literally lit up at the idea. Like Simon swore it made Magnus look like a Star Wars fan (cough John Boyega) getting a signed Han Solo action figure from Harrison Ford. “That is genius Simon!” Magnus replied as he darted away, already off and running in the direction of the bathroom, with Simon following him at a more leisurely pace behind him.

By the time Simon got to the bathroom, there were purple, pink, and blue hair dye boxes haphazardly all over the sink counter with some plastic gloves. “You gotta help me though - I’m a little too emotional and drunk to trust that I wouldn’t ruin my hair with magic.”

Simon couldn’t argue with that logic and was pretty confident that Magnus was drunk enough to cry a second time if he were to ruin his hair. So he put on the gloves and got to work dying the bi flag colors over the older light gray streaks that in Magnus’s. He was grateful that Magnus went with a light color last time because he didn’t really mean for this to happen and he didn’t want to have to bleach Magnus’s hair in addition to dying it tonight.

So that’s how he finds himself here, in the moment, just finishing setting the dark blue strands when he looks to the doorway and sees Alec approaching with his arms crossed and confusion all over his face. Simon widens his eyes as he looks back from Alec to where his hands are currently pushing Magnus’s hair back and even though it is obvious that he is just dying Magnus’s hair, he feels like this is an uncomfortable position to find oneself caught in with the other person’s boo thing. Magnus’s eyes follow Simon’s line of sight in the mirror, once he realizes that Simon is distracted by the arrival of Alec, he grins big and bright. He turns his head quickly to look at Alec head on. “Simon’s helping me with my hair, what do you think?”

Alec’s hunched shoulders and crossed arms relax at the sight of Magnus’s smile, smiling back his own small thing as he says in a serious voice, “You look bi-eautiful.”

Magnus’s whole body relaxes, fondness written in every facial feature as he lunges at Alec, taking his face in between his hands as he kisses him hard. Alec holds Magnus’s hip to stop Magnus from moving too far and causing them tip backwards while his other hand cups Magnus’s cheek. At first Simon lets out a happy sigh at seeing Magnus’s reaction to having his identity recognized but someone that is very important to him, but then he watches Magnus bite at Alec’s bottom lip and yup he’s done.

“Okay. Yup - that’s my cue. Solid gay- I mean day. Bi guys - pan out.” Simon mutters mostly to himself as he all but flees Magnus’s apartment to give Magnus and Alec some time to themselves, feeling pleased that he was able to help Magnus during a vulnerable, drunken moment of bisexual identity visibility crisis and feeling confident that he could call on Magnus in the future if he ever started to feel similarly about his identities.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you enjoyed the ficlet! here's [the post on my tumblr](https://sugarplummeliorn.tumblr.com/post/154107862066/day-three-magnus-bane-bisexuality-simon-is) if you want to like/reblog it there!!! xoxo


	4. magnus bane + downworlders

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> day four: magnus bane + downworlders
> 
> I wanted to imagine Luke and Magnus meeting for the first time now that Luke is a downworlder because their friendship is really important and fascinating to me! (I want to know everything about their friendship!!!!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> relevant tags: mention of death, Luke Garroway appears!!, BAMF!Magnus, Magnus standing up for himself, Luke also caling out BS

“Well why can’t we just move it from the rooftop’s of mundanes to the Warlock’s district?” a stuffy deep voice asks.

“Apparently there isn’t enough moonlight in Brooklyn to keep some of her plants alive…” explains an irritated, higher pitch voice.

A third voice chimes in, “How come the zoning laws forbid her from using a Seelie rooftop?”

“They don’t  _ and  _ they would allow it if half of her plants weren’t potentially harmful to the population,” responds a fourth, equally annoyed voice.

Magnus scoffs and rolls his eyes at this stupid merry go round the five New York Downworlder Board members are currently on, going around and around and around but never actually getting anywhere. He’s regretting his decision to attend this dry meeting even when he knew Ragnor would not be in attendance. At least Ragnor usually kept him amused during them.

The irritated higher pitched voice interrupts his internal bemoaning, a blatant attempt to call him out and embarrass him. “Oh Mr. Bane, do you have an useful opinion on the matter that you wish to share?”

The seelie, who Magnus is pretty sure is named Veronica but he honestly doesn’t care enough to remember, is looking down across the room at him with a cold glare. Magnus meets her gaze unflinchingly as he tilts his head to gaze back. “Nope” he responds, sure to pop the ‘p’ to make sure his annoyance is known by all in the most passive aggressive of manners. “Just wondering how many different arguments people can make for and against the relocation of a witch’s simple garden.”

“Well if you don’t have any input I would like to remind you that these meetings are optional and you don’t have to be here if you don’t want to be, Mr. Bane.” The remark is made with a raised eyebrow and cold smile by Joaquin, in his stuffy deep voice. Magnus wants to punch that stupid, condescending smile off of Joaquin's stupid, vampire face when a different much deeper, smoother voice cuts in. “I agree with the High Warlock Bane. I mean I know this is only my third meeting attendance but I didn’t expect a decision of this size and importance to require two full three hour meetings to be settled.”

Veronica turned her head quickly to source of the voice who happened to be sitting just out of Magnus’s line of sight. Her angry downcast eyebrows smoothing out when she identifies the interrupter as if she is a cat that just caught her dinner. “For someone that is only on a trial period to be a beta to the Jade Wolf pack, you sure do have a very condescending tone. Besides, if you or Mr. Bane wanted to speed up the decision process, you could join the heads of the board but we all know Magnus is too good for that.”

Magnus had been a little distracted trying to place why that deep voice sounds familiar when the implication of Veronica’s words hit him and jars him back into the moment. His gaze hardens on her face as he feels his magic coming to the surface, not quite revealing itself as the blue sparks in his finger tips but definitely adding a charge to the air. “We all know well and good that the reason I refuse to be a board member on this committee has everything to do with this committee’s handling of my first claims that Valentine was kidnapping Downworlders. Since it was only warlocks at first, this committee didn’t believe my concerns because the Clave and the rest of the Shadowhunters denied Valentine’s rise of power. I was forced to remain idle while I felt the magic of so many warlocks and witches leave this world. And I refuse to be apart of a board that so blindly trusts in the Clave and Shadowhunters that it ignores the very people it was put in position to protect. If anything were to start happening to my people again, I’d want full capability to retaliate immediately without having to navigate the bureaucratic mess that is this committee.”

Veronica claps her hands once to refocus the room’s attention. Her voice rings out loud and clear throughout the meeting room as she attempts to reign back in the meeting, “Magnus! That is enough - you know that the decision not to follow through on  _ your intuition _ stemmed from a lack of  **physical evidence** . While it was a regretful choice that resulted in the loss of Downworlders’s lives, we as a committee stand by it. End of discussion.   
This is more than enough excitement for the evening. This meeting is adjourned for tonight and the garden location issue tabled for now. Good night.”

Magnus is tired of this old and overused argument. At the end of the day, those people are still gone and he did nothing to protect them. He huffs out an annoyed breath as he quickly leaves the meeting room, taking the time to walk down the stairs and out the building instead of just portalling back to his apartment. That voice from earlier is still familiar and its name is on the tip of his tongue, just close enough but not quite there at the same time.

Magnus reaches the landing when suddenly realization dawns on him. He exits the building into a narrow alleyway, leaning against the wall next to the door casually as he watches each person from the meeting walk out. It’s been ten minutes or so and the person he’s looking for still hasn’t walked through the doors, the people trickling out more interspersed now. It is possible that they took a different exit but this one leads to the metro so Magnus is pretty confident it is the one they would it. Magnus doesn’t like to leave his suspicious uncheck but twenty minutes it a long time to wait for someone he doesn’t even want to confirm is alive when the face he remembers from some not so pleasant memories exits the building.

Magnus steps off of the wall to stand in front of them, blocking the exit to the street as he addresses them with arms crossed but his magic on hand and at the ready. “You may have the rest of these downworlders fooled but I know exactly who you are Lucian Graymark.”

The man in question, Luke, pauses in his adjustment of his leather jacket’s collar to look into Magnus’s eyes, his expression a little resigned and indifferent at hearing his birthname being spoken, as if he knew this was going to happen. He shrugs his jacket into place as he replies, “then you know everything I have to lose.”

Magnus’s eyes draw together in confusion at that comment, calling his magic back into himself and away from the surface at the nonthreatening vibes he’s feeling from Luke. He also isn’t sure if that comment is supposed to mean Luke has nothing left or that of what he has left, it is of most importance. He pushes away that response to the back of his mind for another day. “Don’t expect me to ever warm up to the idea of  _ trusting  _ a former  **Circle member** .” Venom dripping from Magnus’s words as he mutters ‘circle member’ as if that very phrase resurfaces horrible memories that Magnus works hard to keep buried.

Luke doesn’t even flinch at Magnus’s harsh tone, his face remaining fairly neutral, which does earn him an ounce more of respect in Magnus’s book, just a bit though. His voice is calm and smooth as though this conversation is one that he practiced and prepared himself for for years, “I never expect you to… In the beginning I may have been naive to the true extent of Valentine’s malicious views towards Downworlders but I’m still responsible for my actions and the lives lost due to my blindness.”

Magnus squinst in concentration as he takes in Luke’s honest words. He can see the weary lines and dark bags around Luke’s eyes that stem from the nightmares filled with faces he doesn’t know but couldn’t save, the clenched jaw as if even sharing this confession is a hard step for him to take, and Magnus doesn’t even have to look that closely to see the weight of that burden Luke carries in the heavy set of his shoulders. It simmers his temper a little, supporting his gut decision to not end Luke there and then. He nods his head slightly in acknowledgement of Luke’s words. He turns to leave the alley, heading towards a portal he just conjured with the flick of a wrist when Luke’s voice makes him pause just before he vanishes. “But I hope one day we can be something like friends as a fellow Downworlder.”

And what an interesting notion that is Magnus thinks to himself as he portals himself back to his cozy apartment: a Shadowhunter losing his grace and becoming a Downworlder. It does give him pause but that is a different mystery for a different day, for now Magnus has a Downworlder Meeting Sourced headache and hungry cats that require his immediate attention. Afterall, New York City isn’t all that big to the Downworlder community and Magnus is sure he will see Luke again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [the post on tumblr](https://sugarplummeliorn.tumblr.com/post/154188524736/day-four-magnus-bane-downworlders-well-why) if you wanna reblog it there maybe or want to let me know what you thought of the characterization of magnus??


	5. magnus bane + hair

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus Bane + Hair - Magnus is just taking a day for himself and dyes his hair streaks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> relevant tags: restless energy, nothing else comes to mind but let me know if i'm wrong!

It’s a Tuesday in the middle of winter and Magnus has no real plans for the day so he allows himself the simple luxury of sleeping in. When he wakes up, it is slow and lazily, sprawled out across his California King bed on his favorite silk sheets that always feels perfect on his skin. He uses that time to just ease back into the world of consciousness, thinking over the short list of non pressing things he has to get done that day. He runs his hand through his thick black hair, pushing it back and out of his face. His hair is free of product so it offers minimal resistance to the motion and actually feels really good against his scalp so he repeats the motion a couple of times while he lets his mind wander.

Life has been thankfully peaceful on the whole fighting and hiding front, which meant that Magnus has more time for mentoring warlock youths as well as for himself. Today is definitely going to be a day for himself, Magnus can feel it in the way that the low threat month has left a restless energy under his skin that is begging to be released. It’s the kind of restless energy that comes from feeling like one’s been idle for too long, stuck in the same place with minimal change. He rolls his neck to the side, contemplating the best method for dispelling the energy because if left unhandled not only can it manifest into a resentful mindset but it can can collide with his magical energy in a not so pleasant way. And there are half a dozen methods to clear it from his body, he just needs to decide upon one.

He runs his hand through his hair one more time before he realizes that he’s found the perfect solution. It’s been awhile since he last died streaks into his hair but it feels like it is time again. It’s a small and fast way to change something noticeable about himself. With a decision made, Magnus pulls himself out of bed to get his day started. Besides dying his hair, his only other plans for the day involve making dinner with Luke at night so he’s in no rush to do anything. He putzes about the kitchen pulling out all the works to make himself a big breakfast, like chopping up fruit to go with his eggs and taking the extra fifteen minutes to boil milk and sugar for his espresso strength coffee. He even sits in the seat at his kitchen table that faces out the window so he can admire his Brooklyn Bridge view while he eats, truly following the theme of making a day out of enjoying himself.

After Magnus eats and cleans up his dishes from cooking, he heads to the bathroom to start the process of dying streaks into his hair. He knows he could use magic for the process and often he does, but there is something really satisfying, almost soothing, about the methodology to Magnus; the full process of bleaching his rich black hair and setting the final color. What he actually enjoys is that idle time that occurs during the steps where his hands are occupied but his mind is free to wander. It’s a different kind of mindset that he doesn’t really get when he uses magic because magic is such a physical _and_ mental activity for him. But the process of dying his hair opens his mind while keeping his hands busy and still yields a magical change: transforming his hair from one style to a completely different, more colorful, one. (If he is in just the right mood, he’ll even take the time to make the color dye based on techniques he studied in Egypt just to draw out the whole process another couple of hours.)

Magnus’s hair has always been an important part of his identity because it is something that he can control and change and is so visible. He’s not the type of warlock to have had one or two hairstyles throughout his centuries but rather one that is constantly changing to match his mood, life, or follow high fashion but more often than not, setting fashion trends. His whole outward appearance, but his hair especially, has always played a crucial role in his life. He knows that as a warlock, an Asian warlock at that, there is nothing he can do, no way for him to dress, to change those prejudices that already exist against him in both the mundane and supernatural world. He tried assimilating at first, to hide in plain sight, and sometimes it worked but mostly it didn't, just creating a sour taste in his mouth from feeling something close to shame but with a different weight. It took him decades to recognize that consistent existing prejudice and embrace it, and it's something he still struggles with, but it's helped him become more comfortable and confident in his skin. He realized that he shouldn't shy away from enjoying life and its pleasures, like changing his look and style or having his hair short (or long or as colorful as he pleases), because there will always be people that perceive him and hate him without _knowing_ him.

Magnus rinses his hair with cold water to set the color, running his fingers through the strands to remove any newly formed knots. As he towels his hair dry, he glances at his hair in the mirror for the time since beginning the dying process. The sight of the baby blue tuft of hair on Magnus’s head making him smile, the restless energy completely dispelled from his system. He watches his reflection as he flickers to his cat eyes when he brings his magic forward, admiring how the soft blue light emitting from his finger tips matches the freshly dyed soft blue streaks in his hair. It's exactly what the look he was going for: a visual reminder of the of the strength, power, and magic that lies within.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [the post on tumblr ](https://sugarplummeliorn.tumblr.com/post/154280510756/day-five-magnus-bane-hair-its-a-tuesday-in-the) incase you wanan read my nervous tags!!


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